Two bald eagles shot and killed in Pennsylvania

State and federal authorities are investigating the shootings.

June 01, 2013|Of The Valley News-Dispatch

The state Game Commission is investigating the shooting deaths of two bald eagles in Cambria and Butler counties.

"A lot of people are very upset," said Tom Fazi, an education officer for the Pennsylvania Game Commission. "Even among some of the worst poachers, they won't stoop so low as to shoot our nation's symbol."

A $250 reward is being offered for information in the Butler County eagle shooting, which was reported on May 5. A mature bald eagle was found dead in Muddy Creek near Moraine State Park, where there are two known bald eagle nests.

In the Cambria County shooting, $7,250 in rewards has been raised. On May 10, an eagle was found shot but alive in Allegheny Township, according to Fazi. The bird died while on the way to medical treatment.

It was found in a rural area not known to be frequented by bald eagles, Fazi said.

The eagle may have been shot elsewhere and dumped in Cambria County, said Chip Brunst, a wildlife conservation officer investigating the Butler County shooting.

He said the federal Fish and Wildlife Service is conducting a necropsy of the eagles in a forensics laboratory in Ashland, Ore.

Bald and golden eagles are protected under a 1940 federal law that prohibits taking an eagle without a permit from the federal government, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Violators may be fined up to $5,000 and sentenced to a year in prison.